


Of Rainbows and Socks

by BloodyDruddigons



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Dark-Type Trainer Gloria, Depressed Gloria, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Ho-oh sock puppet, Insomnia, Post-Game, Scatterbrained Gloria, Sock Puppets, Sort-of Slice of Life, Spoonie Gloria, Sugary Cotton-Candy Floof, With a bit of angst thrown in, bederia week 2021, rainbow socks, relationship navigation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodyDruddigons/pseuds/BloodyDruddigons
Summary: For Bede, navigating a relationship with Gloria could be complicated at times, especially when she found it hard to convey her trauma to him. But one day, Gloria suggests a new idea: "Sock Therapy", where Bede uses a sock puppet to talk her through her worries. It may sound ridiculous to him, but not only could it help his beloved, it might lead to a revelation about the bond they share...For Bederia Week 2021, Day 7CW: Depression, vague mention of suicidal thoughts
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Of Rainbows and Socks

**Author's Note:**

> I'm aliiiiiiiive~
> 
> Seriously, though, writing this one was quite the journey. Basically it's my attempt at describing my own experiences having low energy, ADHD, and depression through Gloria; this depiction of her is just based off what I, personally, deal with in my daily life. Each person has their own story, though, and this fic's Gloria is not necessarily going to resonate with everyone who deals with these sorts of things. Even so, I hope you can find something here that warms your heart; you're all wonderful and deserve the best <3

Ten, eleven, twelve tweets from the wooden Rookidee marked the stroke of noon.

Nearby stood a man clad in soft pink and robin’s-egg blue, his eyes refusing to veer from their pursuit of the swift second hand. Not a day passed where that damn clock failed to bother him, with its childish design and repetitive noises. But the clock itself was irrelevant to his concern today.

Sharp ticking faintly echoed through the otherwise silent room, bouncing off a ceiling firmly bereft of footsteps from the bedroom above. Next to the gym leader, an embellished dining table lied in wait, its surface hosting two plates of omelets flanked by silverware, unmoved from their proper setting. The pleasant aroma of the omelets had long since wafted away, now barely noticeable from the lukewarm breakfast. In the center of the table stood a whimsical teapot that had ceased emitting steam over an hour ago. Perhaps the teapot reigned as the most pitiful sight of all for Bede.

To think he had bothered to steep her favorite tea, only to suffer her absence for this long!

A final growl from his stomach marked the end of his patience. Up the stairs he stormed, racking his brain over what exactly Gloria thought was important enough to miss breakfast for.

Yet, upon opening the bedroom door, he found the champion still tucked into the bed, eyes glued shut despite his footsteps. 

At her sleeping face, darling and angelic as an Espurr’s, he closed his mouth before it could chide her for missing half the day. Soft, delicate breathing from his sweetheart relaxed his muscles, slowing his pulse to a calmer rate. Stepping closer to her, ever so slightly, he cringed a bit at the heavy dark circles underneath her eyes. It seemed like every time they met, her eyes were lined with that horrid purple color, sometimes lighter, other times shocking in its intensity, but never absent. And today they appeared darker than ever. 

Damn it, Gloria must have stayed up late again. 

Shaking his head, Bede sighed in exasperation. Did she forget the date they had planned for today?

Still, how could he stay mad at her, resting so peacefully as she was?

He moved in a little closer to the bed, and, beginning to notice the rosy flush tinting her cheeks just so, silently laughed to himself. What sort of dream was she having? Perhaps she was dreaming of him, gifting her the rainbow Wooloo plush she had coveted for a while now. For a dark-type specialist, she sure loved rainbows. He was pretty sure rainbow wasn’t a color, but she kept calling it her favorite, so eventually he learned it wasn’t worth arguing with her over. Not that he didn’t object to the rainbow socks she always wore, what with them clashing against her dark uniform like that. Ugh.

So deep was his mind in his beloved’s rainbow obsession that he barely noticed her eyelashes start to flutter. “Mmph… Bede? That you?” 

It was a fact that Gloria didn’t stir in bed so much as she did flop around, this morning being no exception as she disheveled the sheets he had so thoughtfully tucked her into! “Gloria, stop it. You’re going to toss the sheets all over the floor if you’re not careful.”

Ah, there it was, the first pout of the day. “Hmph, good morning to you too.”

“It’s already noon, in case you haven’t noticed. What were you even doing that kept you up so late last night?!” 

“Trying to sleep.” Damn that eye roll. It was her subtle little way of saying “ _duuuuuh_ ”.

Still, if she thought she could fool him, she was sorely mistaken. “Very funny.”

At this point, her eyes opened to reveal a newfound lucidity, fueled by frustration. “Arceus, Bede, I was! What do you _think_ I was doing?!” That was odd… he couldn’t find any hint of deception lacing her tone. But a night Noctowl like her wasn’t above lying just for a few precious hours on the Rotom phone, as though they were more "precious” than the hours enjoyed with him.

Planting his hands on his hips, Bede retained his accusing stare. “Don’t tell me you actually spent all that time lying still?”

“ _I will, because I did!_ ” The sheer volume of her voice took him aback. ”Do you think it was fun, trying to force myself to sleep? Does it look like sleeping is easy for someone like me?!”

Her words carried with them a sincerity that forced him to rethink his assumption. That would explain her persistent fatigue… 

From the first time the two met, Bede had caught on to the barely distinct signals that Gloria was attempting to get out of her own head. The heavier breathing and tightened face she expressed whenever she actually managed to focus on what was happening around her, well, those were indicators of strain. Which meant ruminating was the normal state for her.

Yet Bede himself knew its dangers all too well, from his years at Macro Cosmos. Not that he suffered from it very often (as he was usually preoccupied with his task), but on occasion, a particularly quiet night would fall. There, neither the plush bed nor fluffy blankets could rein in his mind, free amongst the emptiness of his room to jar him awake and torture him with its endless string of questions.

It always started with the same accursed thought: “What am I doing?” 

_I’m collecting wishing stars._

He’d try to force himself into silence, but no amount of effort would stop him from asking, once he began. Worse, his head would begin to throb with not only exhaustion, but also the chilling awareness of the further torment approaching.

Whether or not he answered, anything else on his mind would fade as deeper, darker questions appeared - “Why?”

_Because the Chairman wishes it, of course._

Here, perhaps he’d answer in a way that’d lead his mind into a labyrinth of distraction, away from the shadow his questions were dragging him towards. Yet a clever man is his own worst enemy, inevitably luring himself back to his misfortunes. Always, his mind would navigate the maze at lightning speed, returning to ask him why over and over again. 

_Because I owe him…_

Towards the past he crept, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, through his answers, even as he desperately scrambled to avoid those memories. But no matter where he tried to run, the question was there somehow, to chip further at his sanity. Bede could not help but writhe in deeper agony with each repetition as he peeled back the layers to his own soul, one by one.

_Because he saved me…_

Until finally, the rotten core revealed itself in its hideous glory.

_…from the orphanage._

And from there, the questions would multiply furiously, while Bede, lacking an answer to any of them, could only suffer as each one infused his blood with searing pain. 

_Why was I left there? Why did the other kids loathe me so much?_

_Why did the Chairman choose me? Does he really see my potential, or is all of this a cruel joke? What If I fail to meet his expectations?_

_…_

_…What if I find myself back there one day?_

If his Hatenna were out of her ball at that point, she would have shredded Bede into pieces.

Instead, he’d writhe in his bed, left alone with himself in the inky silence of his room, until hours and tears would finally tire him to sleep.

Oh, he absolutely knew how painful it was to spend time in one’s own head. A quiet night was the perfect setting for the mind to stick itself firmly in the abyss of dark thoughts. But if it really took Gloria that much effort to stop…

…And here he assumed she was fooling around on her Rotom phone or something!

Unable to notice the wince plastered upon his face the entire time, Bede finally answered her question. “…I see. How long did it take for you to get to sleep?”

“The last time I checked, the clock up there said it was three in the morning. But I don’t think I conked out until a while after that.”

…Exactly what was going on in that head of hers last night?

“Man, I’m tired…” she moaned as she sat up, eyes glazed once more from sheer drowsiness. 

Arranging the tangles of copper hair so they no longer obscured her face, Bede planted a quick smooch to her forehead. “Mm, I’ll bet. Even so, sleeping is no way to spend a date, love.” Loud, distressed groaning emanated from the sleepyhead as her boyfriend snatched the warm, fluffy covers away, leaving her plaid pajamas as the only protection against the cool air. “Come on and change, dear. I assume you’ll ask me to pick your outfit for you?” Too fatigued to work her vocal cords, she nodded. “I thought so.”

Rummaging through Gloria’s clothes never failed to prove disappointing. Didn’t she know the meaning of the word “variety”? That was one she could stand to add to her vocabulary, at least as far as her fashion sense - or rather, lack thereof - was concerned. He envisioned her starting her day, asking herself whether she should wear the black t-shirt, the black t-shirt, or the black t-shirt, and just thinking about it made him slap his forehead in embarrassment. Perhaps he’d take her shopping again one of these days - wait, definitely _not_! Even after all the weeks that had passed from last time, his ears were still sore from her complaints at the “foofy skirts” he recommended for her. Not to mention the incessant whines of “Are we done yet?”! Perhaps her incivility was his punishment for attempting to open Gloria’s taste beyond black t-shirts and ripped jeans. Which, once again, was exactly what he pulled out for her this afternoon. 

As soon as he lifted the clothing from her suitcase, however, the unearthed abomination lying deeper within sent him nearly gagging. 

Were those socks meant to resemble a cartoon Ho-oh or something?! 

Arceus, as if her rainbow sock collection wasn’t garish enough! That pair in particular looked like it would work better as puppets than as actual socks, with both the front and the heel resembling parts of a beak. Really, Gloria? Really?!

“Mmph… Whatcha doin’…” Gloria mumbled, snapping Bede’s attention back to the room. 

He turned towards the bed, handing her the bleak garments. “Here you are. Don’t tell me you need help getting out of bed, too?”

Like some sort of goliath, Gloria plonked one foot onto the floor, then the other, before expending all of her effort to rise up into a standing position, albeit one that made her resemble a hulking, slouching beast. 

Bede only sighed, well aware he’d waste his breath if he told her to fix her posture. “I’ll go reheat our meal. You’d better not let it get cold again!” With that, he took his leave, shutting the bedroom door behind him. 

His steps were much gentler on the way back downstairs, though his stomach resumed that infernal growling upon entry to the dining room. _Honestly_ , he remarked, shaking his head at the display of cold omelets before him. A microwave was no way to heat food or tea, but neither his drowsy date nor his insatiable hunger left him any choice today.

What was he to do with her? Setting aside her gawking fans and focusing on the people who knew her well enough, even Hop had said before that she’d lost her head. Bede himself disagreed; Gloria certainly knew where her head was, it just… wasn’t quite screwed in properly.

He learned that in a painful manner the day of what was supposed to be a sunny picnic date. The two had dashed inside her house, hung up their sopping wet coats, and got to bickering as the storm raged over Postwick. Over and over again, Gloria would go off on how she had checked the weather several times beforehand, until she opened her Rotom phone to prove it, and realized she was looking at the _next_ day the entire time.

He would have scolded her had she not spent the next five minutes berating herself for it. 

In fact, he actually found himself stopping her after hearing insults that could curdle milk spew out.

The first emotion to cross his mind was shock. Not even by combining all of the salty comments he had ever directed at her could he hold a single candle to her own vitriol! With her right hand clutching her face, catching some of those dripping copper tangles in its grasp, she hissed curses meant for no ears save her own. Yet Bede was immensely grateful he caught them, for her cries of guilt turned to shrieks of contempt for her own existence, and his shock became panic.

What was she thinking? Could she even hear herself?! 

This had to stop!

He shot his arms out from behind her and pulled her back, until she was wrapped in a fierce embrace.

Stock still, heart racing, hand firmly tethered to her mouth, he failed to ask if she really meant what she was saying. No, he was far too busy silently yelling that her words were false, that she _was_ worthy of love, that she was never allowed to look down on herself ever again, that she was worrying him sick.

A life without his parents, without the chairman, and eventually without Ms. Opal, was one he could survive through.

But a life without her… without _Gloria_!

Well aware that swimming in sheer terror wouldn’t help anyone, he released her from his arms, laid her down on the couch, and wrapped her up in a soft blanket. It took a cup of lavender tea and an hour of cuddling to calm her down.

Calming himself down took much longer, but soon he found himself enjoying the rest of their date, curled up together and watching ridiculous animated adaptations of Galar’s fairy tales.

Still, that predicament served to this day as quite the cautionary tale for Bede, who continued to reflect as he finished reheating their meals.

With such an extreme reaction as her default for the mistakes she made, there was no way he was going to exacerbate it. So she was a bit scatterbrained, he’d sooner kick a wet Yamper than scold her. Yes, this meant having to take her misplaced items and spacey stares in stride, but it was all worth it just to hold his rival in his arms. Even if she did keep messing up his plans…

Plonking sounds could be heard coming down the stairs, marking Gloria’s arrival in the dining room. There she was, flashing that cheeky grin of hers behind a mess of untamed hair.

She was certainly a handful, but she was _his_ handful.


End file.
